Charity bike ride for fallen Bromsgrove soldier

FRIENDS of fallen Bromsgrove soldier Pte Robbie Laws will embark on a charity bike ride between London and Paris in his memory.

Pte Laws, from 2 Battalion The Mercian Regiment, who was well-known in Bromsgrove, was killed in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2009.

And the 15 friends, who went all went to South Bromsgrove High School with Pte Laws, will start their 200-mile cycle next Friday (July 4) on the fifth anniversary of his death to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

The Tour De Laws - as it has been dubbed - has already ammassed £9,000 for the cause and the team are hoping to hit their £10,000 target by next Friday.

The cyclists will undertake the gruelling ride over three days - on the Friday they will travel 75 miles from London to Newhaven where they will get the ferry to Dieppe, arriving there about 5am on Saturday morning.

They will then ride 95 miles on the second day and finally, after an overnight stay and some rest, complete the 30-mile final leg to Paris on the Sunday.

Will Brazier, one of the team behind the ride, said: “We have done events in the past, including a charity football match which raised £2,000 for Help for Heroes.

“But with this being the fifth anniversary, we wanted to do something really special.

“The training has been going really well and we know it is going to be a phenomenal challenge.

“We’re just looking forward to setting off now.”

The group said they chose Help for Heroes because it was a charity Robbie’s parents had supported and, although the war in Afghanistan was nearly over, for those who had suffered life-changing injuries, their battles were just beginning.

“By supporting Help for Heroes we are supporting their battles,” added Will.

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/RobbieLawsLondon2Paris/ to donate to The Tour De Laws or email rllondon2paris@gmail.com for more information.